OTM Debugging

Today, I had spend 4 hours troubleshooting OTM (Oracle Transport Management) only to realise that the mistake was due to a change of Service Provider ID. This change was not updated in the Rate Offering. As such, the shipment planning was not able to pick up the rates. It was a very silly mistake and also shows the challenge of debugging in OTM. Anyone doing OTM will know the power of OTM debugging. Here are some debugging tips which could help anyone still doing OTM!

OTM Debugging Tips

• Test often with each change of configuration. Use Agile to configure and test each change within a day.
• Prepare a standard checklist for checking. This is important for Shipment Planning and rates setup.
• Turn on your diagnostic log. It is more friendly than the log file.
• Ask your OTM buddy for second opinion in your debugging approach. You may find new perspective.
• Turn on your log files as last resort. The log file can either help you or discourage you. Go to the last page for the clues.

If you still unable to find the issue, rollback the change and configure your change again. This time, configure and test more aggressively. The key to debugging OTM is patience and practice. The only way is to get your hands dirty.